Chapter One

I arrive at the station in Whitehurst feeling oddly at ease; it had been a rough trip to get here and took almost 2 full days and one and a half nights. On the second day on the train there had been a massive storm which made the whole train shudder and I had thought I was going to die. I had finally fallen asleep that afternoon when the storm died down and woken up when the train had come to an abrupt halt in the middle of the night. I had arrived at Whitehurst at last, and although the train fair hadn't proved too costly, I still didn't exactly have enough money to stay here for long. I'd have to find shelter, and fast.

And that's why I'm here now, crouching in an abandoned house I had found in a dimly lit street; not far from the train station. It's dark in here, no lighting. Electricity seemed to be becoming a thing of the past to me though; I couldn't care less about not having a mobile phone or television. However, I still need something to cook food with or I'm not going to last long. I lower my bag onto the ground and pull out an energy bar and munch on it as I search the house. It is oddly cold in here, considering it is the middle of summer. I can't help but wonder why this is. I come back to where I left my bag on the ground and pick it up once more after searching. The house has a fully functioning kitchen, maybe a little dusty but it would do. The oven and stove both thrive on wood fire, and the refrigerator was simply a box that looked like a cooler; it would need ice to function. Then there are the bedrooms, only two of them, one has a large double bed with the mattress torn and moldy while the other has just one small bed, it seems newer than the larger bed. I decide to stay in that bedroom instead. The house is basically just one small square with rooms cornered off by doors, there was a living room beside the kitchen with torn couches that appeared to have stuffing falling out of it like a torn up animal, then there was the bathroom; which was moldy and dusty as if it hadn't been used in decades, which I'm sure it hadn't. I'm certainly not going to be the first to use it either. I pass the kitchen door to get to my bedroom and go in for the second time. I toss my bag onto the white bed, an eerie smell wafts up my nose. It smells like a rotten egg, it is terrible. My hands reach out to touch the bed, with my head pulled away from it. There is a lump underneath the dusty cover. I close my eyes as I pull the covers back and only open them to see what the lump is. A dead rat, it looks freshly killed. This is strange I think to myself, but maybe it was just Holly… She likes chasing mice. Picking up the rat by its tail, I find myself walking to the kitchen. Hoping there is a bin in there somewhere, and I am right; there is. Curiosity pricks at my mind and my hand hovers to the tap in the sink. The stench on my hands is terrible and it would be a great load off my shoulders to be able to wash it off. The tap turns and a liquid trickles out, I can feel the colour draining from my face as I stare at the crimson liquid. I am horrified. My eyes quickly close and I fight the urge to scream out. When I open them again, the blood flowing out from the tap is gone; replaced with clear water. I nearly choke, had I just imagined that? I stare in disbelief at the water, then slowly, cautiously, put my hands under it and washed them.

Where has Holly gotten to? I ask myself as I leave the kitchen. The memory of the rat slowly crawls back into my mind and I wonder if it was Holly who killed it, or something else… I shake my head to clear the thought away.

"Holly?" my voice echoes quietly through the house and I shudder, the voice croaked back at me didn't sound at all like that of my own. An ear splitting screech pierces through my ears. Holly! My legs are shaky as I follow the noise. Then I see her; fur puffed out like she had gone rabid, lips curled up revealing white glossy teeth, and eyes that are blazingly green in the darkness. Something has disturbed her, a lot. I watch her with fear clawing at my belly, her eyes seem to be locked onto something. I follow her intense stare and see what she is staring at.

A wall. That's all it is, why is she so mad at a wall? I scoop Holly up in my arms and stroke her fur to soothe her.

"It's alright Holly… It's just a wall" I know cats have exemplary instincts, but I can't bring myself to believe that there was more to that wall that what met the eye. As I turn away to go back to my bedroom and sleep, I notice something in the corner of my eye. It is faint, but I know it's a figure of a person. My legs collapse beneath me and Holly tumbles out of my arms, everything goes black.

I find myself standing in the middle of a dark house, my legs seem to be glued to the ground and I cannot move my arms. Worry spreads through my body as I wonder where I am and how I got here.

"How dare you" a sharp, low voice pierces my ears "How dare you break into my house, what gives you the right?" I can't see who it is that is talking to me, but I know that whoever it is; they're mad, very mad.

"Sorry?" my voice comes out in a whisper, my breath seems to be trapped inside me.

"Head this warning, Child. Do not meddle with the dark, do not become one with the darkness" the voice seems to hesitate, then goes on "You do not belong here. Leave while you still can" I see the figure of a man in front of me and I run towards him, my legs unsticking and I am able to move once more.

"What do you mean?" I shout, my words come out sharper than I had ever spoken before. This startled me. I catch a glimpse of shining dark blonde hair, a pale face, and two eyes; both shockingly blue. The eyes flash red and I jump back with panic, screaming as I begin to fall down a deep, dark and never ending black hole.

I can feel consciousness spreading through my body. My eyes feel sticky, as though I had been asleep for days. How long have I been lying here? Where am I? I pry my eyes open and look around. I'm on my feet almost instantly, nearly throwing Holly a couple of feet in the air. This is the house from my dream, I think inwardly, so that means… My eyes flick around the house, searching for the blonde haired dark figure. Realizing he isn't here, I let my guard down and allow myself some time to think. Who is was he? What did he want? And most importantly, what should I do now?

I don't remember how long I had been asleep for that night, but I do know that I left the house the very next morning in search of a new place to shelter in. As painstakingly clear as it was, I knew I was not wanted in that other house. I didn't know where I'd go, I had no money to rent a house or a hotel room. So instead, I found myself wandering the streets. Searching for the one place where I was almost certain I would be accepted. Whitehurst Boarding School; this was where my Mother had attended, and where her Mother had attended, and where her Mother's Mother had attended… You get the point, right?

There is only one problem; I have absolutely no idea where the boarding school is. The most Mother had ever told me about the school was that it was located in Whitehurst. My legs are starting to ache from all this walking, I'm sure I've walked around the entire town twice. I've had no luck. The sun is setting and I still haven't found it, if I don't find it by night time I'll have to sleep out on the streets; which is extremely dangerous, as I don't know the area very well and someone could come and hurt me. Or Holly might run off. Holly, she is stuffed inside my backpack at the moment. I'm sure that she's tired of wandering around in circles like a headless chicken too. It's getting dark; the school just has to be around here somewhere. My legs are so tired that they almost collapse beneath me with every step I take; maybe I could just take a break somewhere. I cast my eyes around in search of a good, well hidden place. There isn't any. This appears to be one of the busiest streets; it's possible that the school could be close to here. I force my tired, jelly legs to continue walking. We just have to find the school, I keep telling myself in my mind. Suddenly I hear a noise in my head, it's very faint, but I heard it.

Sage? Sage, can you hear me?

The voice sounds familiar but I can't figure out who it belongs to. It sounds concerned, but I don't know how to reply.

Sage? Say something if you can hear me already!

I shake my head, I don't know how. This is so bizarre, what is going on?

Just think what you want to say to me… Please Sage?

I shrug my shoulders, not knowing exactly what the voice means by that; but I give it a go anyway.

Who are you?

I try my best to say that to the voice with my mind, I wonder if it worked.

That's not important. What is important is that you get somewhere safe before nightfall.

I feel my eyes stretch wide with shock, whoever this is, they really care about me. I feel very confused but I still try my best to communicate.

I need to get to Whitehurst boarding school, can you help me?

There is a pause, as though the voice was thinking. Then I got a sharp reply.

Yes, I can; but what I have to do now is dangerous for you, okay?

I gulp, dangerous? What's that supposed to mean? I figure quietly that if it will help me find Whitehurst in time, it must be worth it.

Okay. I reply quietly, and then I am plunged into darkness.

"Sage?" there is that voice again, so concerned and weary. Once again I find myself wondering who it is. I slowly start to open my eyes and all I see around me is dark, pitch black surrounding me, and I realize that I am lying on some sort of ground. Even though I can't see to be sure there actually is a ground beneath me. My muscles feel as if they haven't been used in weeks as I struggle to a sitting position. I still can't see anything.

"Who's there?" I call out into the pitch blackness, unsure if anyone is there or if anyone can even hear me. There is no answer, but I can now feel some sort of presence beside me. My hand instinctively goes to feel the air around me to find them, and in response I hear a loud stomping noise that seemed to echo around the blackness. Whoever it is, they don't want to be discovered. They quite obviously jumped back to avoid me. I open my mouth to ask once more who it is, only to feel a rough hand over my mouth. For a while I just sit in shock, staring blankly into the darkness. I didn't try to speak again, and I didn't try to move the hand. The hand pushes my head to one side and I feel another hand go to my shoulder. I can't even tell if my eyes are open or closed anymore. Everything feels so unreal. Then I find myself being pushed back down into a lying position, with the hands still on my mouth and shoulder. A message flitters to my mind, and I know it's from whoever is pinning me down right now.

Don't be afraid, this is the only way I can help you.

Strangely, I realize that I'm not afraid. After all this, I feel as calm as my Mother used to be; no matter how horrible Father was to her. A sharp pain goes into my neck as I feel two sharp pricks, and then a liquid is flowing down. It feels warm against my bare skin. His lips are pressed warmly to my neck and I can tell he is sucking the blood up. Yet I still feel calm. I had heard and read so many stories about vampires, but I had never actually believed very much in their existence at all. Father always used to tell me they were as real as day and night, still I had not believed him. But then again, there was a lot of things I never believed about Father. As I feel the blood being drawn from me, I start to feel little jolts of electricity and everything goes white. A movie seems to play in my mind, and for the first time since I've been here; I feel startled. The movie shows all of Whitehurst, the roads, the streets, everything. It looked as if a geographer himself had put this together, but I know better than that. Obviously whoever this guy is, he sent it to me. I simply assume he's lived here a very long time, longer than I can imagine. Something catches my attention in the film; Whitehurst Boarding School! It was showing me the directions there. I try with all of my heart to make sure I remember the way there. My heart is flooded with relief. I know where it is, and I will have to run to get there before nightfall. As I think this, my vision goes black again, but not the same type of blackness. I can tell I am awake now and not in that strange world I had with that guy.

I open my eyes expecting to see the sun still in the sky, setting even. I had not expected to see the moon out already, but there it is; glittering in the sky surrounded by millions of little stars. I realize I'm lying on a lawn and not the footpath I had been walking on when I passed out. Strange, how did I get here? I get to my feet, picking up my backpack with Holly in it from beside me, and twirl around to see a house; it is the same house I had stayed in last night. Memory floods to my mind as I realize who that guy was. He was the same guy that sent me away from this house earlier today!

A battle of indecisiveness goes on inside me as I hesitate at the door. If he had sent me away, isn't it far too dangerous to return? But then again, it seems he must've brought me here himself. Seeing as I must have been miles away when I passed out. I take a deep breath and as I turn the door handle and let myself in, I expect to see his taunting face glaring into mine. Instead, I was greeted with a lovely sight. The whole house appears to have been tidied up for me, there is not a speck of dust to be seen anywhere. Curious, I walk into the bedrooms and see that the mattresses have been cleaned up too. I smile inwardly, feeling satisfied. Maybe he was finally accepting me here, or maybe he just decided to do some spring cleaning in the middle of summer. I put my bag down on the small bed that I had slept on last night and let Holly out. She does not look very pleased with me at all, her fur is standing on end and her eyes are blazing the same way they had last night. I stroke her face gently, soothing her. Reassuring her by telling her that it's all going to be okay, that tomorrow they'd find the boarding school and she'd be well taken care of. I say this mainly to reassure Holly, but partly to reassure myself. I pull out a bag of trail mix and start munching on it, tossing Holly a couple of bits of dried fruit and oats from it as well. Then I rest my head on the pillow and settle down to a deep sleep with Holly curled up beside me, feeling totally safe.

I wake up with my head feeling blocked and stuffy. So I sit up and hold my hands close to my head, it feels like an extremely bad headache. I groan with pain, and then I notice Holly on the corner of the bed eyeing me with a look of curiosity. I push the pain to the back of my mind, trying my best to ignore it and pat Holly's soft black and white fur gently. I strongly dislike it when Holly gives me those looks; they seem too human to come from a cat. My fluffy bag is on the floor next to the bed, sunlight is falling onto it from the window. So I get off the bed and leave Holly to sit alone, and then reach into my backpack. There's no food in it anymore. I couldn't have possibly eaten it all! I think back to all I've had to eat in the past two days; A bag of trail mix and an apple on the train, an energy bar on my first day here and the second bag of trail mix last night. I start to panic for the first time here, I should have packed more. However, I didn't think I'd be stuck sleeping in an abandoned house… I thought I would have been at the school by now. Memory flickers into my mind like a butterfly on a spring day; I had to get to the school. My eyes close as I try to remember the directions that the blonde haired guy showed me last night. I open my eyes, pick up my bag and stuff Holly into it once more. I know exactly where to go now.

It had been quite a long walk, but we are finally here. The school is a marvelous pale white colour; I assume it was once a bright white and has lost its colour over the years. Mother once told me that Whitehurst Academy is over 200 years old. I stare at it with curiosity, such a beautiful building. You could tell it took a long time to build because of all the fine carved details on the walls and mosaics artwork on some windows. Most of the windows have a black frame with details that look like flowers, bending, curving, and growing across the window. As I stand at the gate with the same patterns as the window, I gaze at it. The gate was obviously once a white colour too, but was painted black a long time ago. The walls connected to the gate stretch all around the entire school like a barrier, the walls are the same fading white colour as the building itself. For a moment I wonder how to open the gate; there doesn't seem to be a lock on it. Then a memory flashes into my mind and I remember what the blonde guy had shown me. The gate only opens from the inside; I will have to wait until someone else needs to come out. Who knows how long that might take? I sigh and slump against the brick wall beside the gate and lay my bag in front of me. I decide to let Holly out for some air. Holly climbs out of the bag and ruffles her fur indignantly, she still doesn't look happy with me. I wonder how long it will take for me to earn her trust back. I lean my head back against the wall and put my hand to my neck to try and soothe the stiffness of it. I feel a slight bump under my hand, almost like a scar; two small bumps. I fumble with my bag to find my compact mirror then hold it up to my neck. There I see two small scars; it looks almost like a snake bite. But I know the truth behind the scar; a vampire had given this to me.

Holly is searching the area around the gate; she seems to know the school from somewhere. Strange, I think as I watch her brush her body up against the gate. I stare open mouthed with horror, as all in one smooth motion she jumps over the fence. I hear a faint thud and know she landed safely on the other side, and then hear a faint clanking sound as though gears are being turned inside the gate. A second later the gate doors swing open and reveal Holly sitting neatly on the other side, gazing up at me. Now this is what I call strange, if I hadn't known any better I would have said Holly had done this numerous times before. I've never known of a cat that could open a gate like that.

I walk over to her and grab her face, staring into her eyes searchingly. Trying to find any sign of knowledge in her eyes, but I find nothing. I decide not to put her inside my bag this time, no matter how strange it seems I think it may prove useful to let her guide the way.

Before the actual entrance into the building, there is a large courtyard filled with plants of all sorts and right in the middle of the yard is a large, white water feature. There is a stone footpath leading from the gate to the main entrance, I decide to follow it. When I get inside the building I am shocked by its beauty, it looks so beautiful and antique. Like one of those mansions you see in the movies, but this is real. It has beautiful polished marble floors and glittering white stairs. Its walls are brown and well kept. The only strange thing is that there seems to be no electricity, little torches lit by fire were strung across the walls to light the stairs and other rooms where the light from windows couldn't reach. Right in the middle of the room is a massive stair case that winded all the way to the roof, personally I don't think I'd like to try and walk up those every day. Then I almost slap myself, realizing that if I do get into this school I would have to walk up those all the time. These people who attend this school must be extremely fit to manage those.

Holly is already walking off, heading left. I wonder where she's going for a second, and then decide to follow her because I can't just let her wonder off. I might lose her in a huge place like this. I break into a sprint as Holly starts to speed up, winding through endless amounts of corridors, staircases and rooms. After a while I start to forget where the entrance was, all I can focus on is following the black blur of fur. When at last she stops outside a light brown door with black markings painted on it, I wonder which room this is. I hesitate, not knowing whether I should open it or not. Holly is scratching at the wood trying to open it. I remember wanting her to trust me, maybe I just have to trust her this time. The black handle is cold under my hand; I try to open it which only leads to no avail. It's locked. I'll have to try and knock… This is something I really wanted to avoid doing; if I knock on it whoever is in there will know for sure that I'm here. I glance one last time at Holly before knocking on the wooden door. There is a moment of silence before it finally opens and a young lady with long wavy blonde hair stands in front of me. Her blue eyes narrow and turn amber red and I gulp, unable to move a muscle. I'm trapped.